Lent and debt reduction; How they can work together

Have you wondered how the season of Lent and debt reduction go together? The combination is not as far apart as you think. In fact, they can work quite well together.

The Christian discipline of Lent calls us to give up something in honor of what Christ has done for us. Fasting from food is a longtime tradition. Other types of fasting can include eating out less or abstaining during daytime hours. You can also give up bad habits like overspending. That's where Lent and debt reduction can can work together.

Let me explain.

Willow UMC in Willow, AK

Gaining control over my spending habits has been downright hard! Dragging my husband along with the plan has been even harder. Setbacks happen. Right now, we're making  room in our budget to prepare for the medical bills that have begun to arrive. It's time to work harder and Lent can be the perfect time for that.

I don't think it's enough to say "Yeah, I'll work on debt reduction for Lent." That's good but it doesn't go far enough. Giving up something specific and setting goals have helped us in the past. I'm doing that now.

The idea behind Lent is to give up something for God. I have committed to buy something very specific for my church with the money we save. You may be asking how this fits in with debt reduction. The answer is both easy and complicated.

There isn't any doubt that becoming debt free will help me work better in ministry. Lent gives me the chance to make a commitment to God (in this case financial). It will also push me to develop skills that can last longer than the Lenten season. Developing the skills to honor God gives me extra incentive and spiritual security.

I have the chance to learn skills that I can use to reduce debt long after Lent has ended for this year.  God gets the glory. My church gets something that they need. What can be better than that?